Me either, nor do those shows really present it that way, necessarily. Take Jerry Orbach telling people that not cooperating with the police is obstruction of justice. In actuality, that character knows perfectly well that people do not have to incriiminate themselves in a crime. However, he also knows that regular people DON'T know that. In essence, he's bullshitting them to intimidate them into talking. Also, I've never seen him tell someone that he's obstructing justice by not incriminating HIMSELF. He says it to other people who won't tell him where ANOTHER person is, and that really IS obstructing justice, although it's unlikely they'll be prosecuted for it.

Oh, also, while you cannot be forced or coerced into incriminating yourself, "taking the Fifth" WILL definitely make the authorities think you have something to hide and convince them to look a lot closer at you as a suspect. Why would you claim protection against incriminating yourself unless you're hiding something that WOULD incriminate you?

About the "tracing a call takes a long time", while it's true about 911 immediate ID and cell phone tracing, I believe it IS possible to disguise the origin of a call . . . if you're a computer genius with serious equipment.

I have seen some shows where the reason they want to keep the caller talking is not to give them time for a trace, but because the more he talks, the more possibility that a clue will be provided to help identify him. Which is quite true.

The Miranda Warning: while it is true that the police do not have to Mirandize you until just before they question you, depending on what you're arrested for, they often will do so immediately, in case you say something that would be useful while you're sitting in the back of the police car that they wouldn't want thrown out. Whether or not you will walk depends on how important what you said happens to be to their case.

Phone call: Absolutely correct. I think this idea came from the fact that you have a right to have an attorney, who is (of course) called on the phone. In addition, if the arrestee is a minor, he has the right to have his parent or legal guardian present during questioning, and obviously, that person would be called on the phone. I think it's usually the cops themselves who make that call, though. I wouldn't know, since I was never arrested.

Most states have laws that say you have the right to a phone call. They also usually state how many and within what time frame. Under federal law they would be correct, there is no right to a phone call granted under any federal law that I know of, you do have rights to contact an attorney and make bail, however the means is not specified.

From personal experience, jails will allow you around usually 5 to 10 minutes to use the phone and it isn't collect, it's to call to arrange bail, to tell someone that you're in jail and when your court date is, or whatever. But like the article said outside of that, it's a priviledge.

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